Mouse-rabbit germinal vesicle transfer reveals that factors regulating oocyte meiotic progression are not species-specific in mammals

A series of experiments were designed to evaluate the meiotic competence of mouse oocyte germinal vesicle (GV) in rabbit ooplasm. In experiment 1, an isolated mouse GV was transferred into rabbit GV-stage cytoplast by electrofusion. It was shown that 71.8% and 63.3% of the reconstructed oocytes completed the first meiosis as indicated by the first polar body (PB1) emission when cultured in M199 and M199 + PMSG, respectively. Chromosomal analysis showed that 75% of matured oocytes contained the normal 20 mouse chromosomes. When mouse spermatozoa were microinjected into the cytoplasm of oocytes matured in M199 + PMSG and M199, as many as 59.4% and 48% finished the second meiosis as revealed by the second polar body (PB2) emission and a few fertilized eggs developed to the eight-cell stage. In experiment 2, a mouse GV was transferred into rabbit MII-stage cytoplast. Only 13.0-14.3% of the reconstructed oocytes underwent germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD) and none proceeded past the MI stage. When two mouse GVs were transferred into an enucleated rabbit oocyte, only 8.7% went through GVBD. In experiment 3, a whole zona-free mouse GV oocyte was fused with a rabbit MII cytoplast. The GVBD rates were increased to 51.2% and 49.4% when cultured in M199 + PMSG and M199, respectively, but none reached the MII stage. In experiment 4, a mouse GV was transferred into a partial cytoplasm-removed rabbit MII oocyte in which the second meiotic apparatus was still present. GVBD occurred in nearly all the reconstructed oocytes when one or two GVs were transferred and two or three metaphase plates were observed in ooplasm after culturing in M199 + PMSG for 8 hr. These data suggest that cytoplasmic factors regulating the progression of the first and the second meioses are not species-specific in mammalian oocytes and that these factors are located in the meiotic apparatus and/or its surrounding cytoplasm at MII stage.     

西南桦人工林与山地雨林的群落学特征比较

人类活动对生态系统的影响是当今生态学的研究热点之一,但对在退化生态系统上进行人工造林对地带性植被群落学特征的影响研究尚较欠缺。本文根据组成群落的植物生态学特征能对其生态环境做出准确的反应这一规则,通过样地调查法分析了林龄为12年的西南桦（Betula alnoides）人工群落的区系组成和基本的群落学特征,并与当地的地带性植被——山地雨林的区系组成和群落学特征进行了比较,从而探讨人工造林对当地天然生态系统的影响。结果发现,与天然群落相比,人类活动（人工种植西南桦林）对生态系统的植物物种的生活型谱、物种叶型谱、区系成分、物种多样性等方面的群落学特征影响不大;即使在这些方面有或多或少的差异,可能也是小环境的异质性造成的。但是人工种植西南桦林对群落的季相外貌、群落的结构、物种组成、物种丰富度以及生物量等方面有较大的影响。进行综合分析后得出结论：虽然人工造林可以缩短植被自然恢复的时间以及具有显著的经济价值,但与地带性植被相比,还是有较大的生态学差异。建议为了当地经济的发展,有必要适当发展一定面积的人工林,但规模应适度。     

体外模拟人体细胞癌变的进展

癌症的发生是一个多基因决定和多阶段演进的过程 ,首先是某些基因发生突变并不断积累 ,引起细胞分化生长失控。然而这些突变必须克服机体设置的细胞增殖障碍、应激产生的染色体基因修补机制以及多种抑癌基因的作用。在染色体受到损伤时 ,这些抑癌因子会激活表达 ,调控基因转录以抑制肿瘤生长 ,所以只有当排除了抑癌因子的多重作用后 ,一个正常细胞才能逐渐突破防线而转化成为一个肿瘤细胞[1] 。经过多年研究 ,科学家虽已搞清了主导肿瘤转化的相关基因及其在转化过程中所起的作用 ,但能否根据这些已经了解的细胞转化机制 ,在体外模拟肿瘤的发…     

Serum miR-128-2 Serves as a Prognostic Marker for Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Circulating miRNAs are promising biomarkers for predicting the aggressiveness of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We aimed to identify differentially expressed miRNAs in the serum of HCC patients with different Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage, and to investigate the potential of serum miRNAs as biomarkers for patient outcomes. In the discovery stage, TaqMan Low-Density Array was used to test the difference in levels of serum miRNAs between 20 patients with portal vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT) and 20 patients without PVTT. The detected serum miRNAs then were validated in 182 patients. Fifteen serum miRNAs showed more than two-fold higher expression in patients with PVTT, and miR-128-2 was found to be significantly up-regulated and was selected for further validation. In the validation stage, patients were divided into two groups with low or high serum miR-128-2 using the median expression level of all 182 cases as the cut-off point. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that patients with low level of serum miR-128-2 had favorable trends of survival (log rank = 13.031, p < 0.001). The median survivals for patients with a low and high level of serum miR-128-2 were 625 (95% CI, 527–722) days and 426 (95% CI, 362–491) days, respectively. MiR-128-2 was also an independent factor of overall survival (p = 0.001, HR 2.793, 95%CI 1.550, 5.033). Serum levels of the ubiquitously expressed miR-128-2 showed no significant correlation with parameters of liver damage or liver function. In addition, expressions of miR-128-2 in HCC tissues were up-regulated in comparison with adjacent non-tumor tissues. In conclusion, serum level of miR-128-2 serves as a noninvasive biomarker for the overall survival of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.     

高剂量热休克蛋白gp96通过激活调节性T细胞预防1型糖尿病

旨在以非肥胖糖尿病(Non-obese diabetic,NOD)小鼠为动物模型,研究高剂量昆虫细胞表达的重组热休克蛋白gp96(Recombinant gp96,rgp96)对1型糖尿病(Type 1 diabetes,T1D)的预防作用。以高剂量rgp96免疫NOD小鼠,用血糖仪监测小鼠血糖值,用流式细胞术检测小鼠脾脏CD4~+CD25~+Foxp3~+调节性T细胞(Regulatory T cells,Tregs)亚群频率,然后用一系列体外实验探究高剂量rgp96对Tregs的影响。结果显示高剂量rgp96免疫有效地预防或延缓小鼠T1D发病,免疫诱导Tregs数量明显增加。体外实验发现rgp96蛋白促进Tregs增殖,诱导Foxp3表达上调和IL-10分泌增加。研究结果为开发基于rgp96的新型T1D预防和治疗性疫苗提供了依据。     

渗透胁迫对杜氏盐藻胞内甘油含量及相关酶活性影响

杜氏盐藻(Dunaliella salina)是一种抗渗透能力强的单细胞绿藻, 甘油在其渗透调节过程中发挥重要作用。本实验对5种不同NaCl浓度条件下, 盐藻的生长、细胞内甘油含量及甘油代谢相关酶的活性变化进行了测定。结果表明, NaCl浓度过高或过低均影响盐藻的生长; 高渗胁迫条件下甘油含量迅速增加,3-磷酸甘油磷酸酶的活性和二羟丙酮还原酶催化二羟丙酮转化为甘油的活性明显增加; 而低渗胁迫条件下的甘油含量会迅速降低, 3-磷酸甘油磷酸酶的活性丧失, 二羟丙酮还原酶催化甘油转化为二羟丙酮的活性增加。基于此实验结果, 我们对盐藻渗透胁迫条件下细胞内的甘油代谢过程与其抗渗透胁迫能力的相关性进行了探讨。     

水通道蛋白1-C末端肽段/GST融合蛋白的原核表达(简报)

水通道蛋白(Aquaporin,AQP)是一类选择性高效转运水分子的细胞膜通道蛋白,广泛存在于原核和真核生物细胞的细胞膜上,主要介导自由水分子的被动跨膜转运,对保持细胞内外液环境的稳态平衡起着重要的作用.     

三种杀虫剂对皂角豆象的致死效果

【目的】筛选对皂角豆象Megabruchidius dorsalis(Fahraeus)致死效果最好的杀虫剂。【方法】采用氟啶脲、毒死蜱和灭多威3种常用类型杀虫剂的常规剂量对皂角豆象成虫、初孵幼虫和卵进行防治试验。【结果】3种杀虫剂都可以有效的杀死皂角豆象初孵幼虫,接触氟啶脲、毒死蜱和灭多威3种杀虫剂后皂角豆象幼虫72 h死亡率分别为96.59%、100.00%和100.00%,灭多威和毒死蜱对皂角豆象成虫致死效果72 h为100.00%,灭多威对皂角豆象卵的效果最为明显,致死率达94.38%,氟啶脲对皂角豆象卵和成虫无明显致死效果。【结论】灭多威对皂角豆象的致死效果最好。     

小麦的遗传转化

概述了小麦遗传转化的发展历史与现状,分析了几种小麦转化技术的优势和不足,并对小麦遗传转化中的有关问题作了展望。     

Replication and fine mapping of asthma-associated loci in individuals of African ancestry

Asthma originates from genetic and environmental factors with about half the risk of disease attributable to heritable causes. Genome-wide association studies, mostly in populations of European ancestry, have identified numerous asthma-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Studies in populations with diverse ancestries allow both for identification of robust associations that replicate across ethnic groups and for improved resolution of associated loci due to different patterns of linkage disequilibrium between ethnic groups. Here we report on an analysis of 745 African-American subjects with asthma and 3,238 African-American control subjects from the Candidate Gene Association Resource (CARe) Consortium, including analysis of SNPs imputed using 1,000 Genomes reference panels and adjustment for local ancestry. We show strong evidence that variation near RAD50/IL13, implicated in studies of European ancestry individuals, replicates in individuals largely of African ancestry. Fine mapping in African ancestry populations also refined the variants of interest for this association. We also provide strong or nominal evidence of replication at loci near ORMDL3/GSDMB, IL1RL1/IL18R1, and 10p14, all previously associated with asthma in European or Japanese populations, but not at the PYHIN1 locus previously reported in studies of African-American samples. These results improve the understanding of asthma genetics and further demonstrate the utility of genetic studies in populations other than those of largely European ancestry.